looking up

The herbal plasters (cf yesterday's blog) are pretty good - at least it stops the pain on the ankle when used. I realise the pain comes only when I get up from my seat or walking up/down stairs. Maybe its time to go on a diet.

Started working on my thesis despite feeling down. Its good that other students are pushing ahead and that gives me pressure to catch up.

Heard, strangely, that an advert. to adopt Regis was put on the paper - don't know if it's true. But if it is - for God's sake, ask my permission first!!!!!!! Don't do things behind my back!!!!

A new professor came yesterday - conventual Franciscan - teaching rhetorical criticism. Extremely tall italian. We had a good laugh this morning at breakfast because one of the psalms we had to sing says "My eyes are tired from looking up" and we all thought of him.

There's still space for the english-speaking Greece tour so contact Katie quickly to make your booking. We'll be studying some letters of Paul there, and celebrate the 2000th anniversary of his birth.

Rotten eggs

Jacqueline Woo's dad brought some great herbal plasters from China and am using them every night for my ankle. It's terribly painful and I couldn't walk for 2 afternoons - just stayed in bed. Half the city is down with the flu, like me. Coughing, running nose, fever .... and everyone is blaming the change of weather. It's hot during the day, 30 degrees of so, but a very cold wind is blowing and the nights get as low as 10 degrees.

Threw out 8 eggs from a canary because they were getting mouldy and she refuses to nest. These canaries must be first timers because they don't know how to make nests and have been abandoning eggs. Only a funny looking white one with a tuff of black hair (I call her "Jughead" and thought "she" was a "he" at first) has got it correct - nice fluffy nest with 5 eggs and she sitting on them everyday. Fr Dobromir, our former superior and now treasurer, asked me how they were getting along. The canaries belong to him but as he's living at St. Saviour's Monastery a mile up the hill, I was asked to take care of them. He advised to throw away the 1st batch of eggs as they usually are not fertilised and the young mother canaries are not expereinced. The 2nd batch will be better. So we'll give it a try. Some fo the canaries have already laid their 2nd batch of eggs.

So I went to visit Fr Dobromir this morning. Didn't feel like it, walking up the hill with my painful ankle. But I gave all your donations to the Holyland to him and he thanks you all. Also received the Mass intentions from Vancouver sent to Fr Dobromir. Thanks to Fr Paul Chu. The masses will be celebrated in various shrines here in the Holyland.

Most of the students have returned from their Easter holidays and school started this morning. I'll try and start work again, if I'm feeling up to it.

All gone

Vomited several times last night. Still feel pretty sick today. Heard Rex and Regis are fighting everyday now. Everyone says Regis knows it's the end, and he's instinctively fighting it. My poor boy Regis.

Just had lunch with Sr. Maria Ko, though was feeling sick. She was my professor back in my seminary days in HK and now she teaches/directs the Salesian Sisters Renewal course here in Jerusalem several months a year. Anyway I invited her out to lunch at the Chinese restaurent in the New City as she is leaving for Rome tomorrow - and also to celebrate my birthday (which is not celebrated in our monastery). Fr Thomas Cui who's studying at the Dominican Ecole Biblique also came along. It was good to catch up with Sr Maria and we discussed several projects that we could do here in Jerusalem. Might as well plan long term as there's nothing good left for me in HK.

sad

We're into daylight saving as from 2am this morning. It usually takes place after the Jewish Passover but this year the jewish calendar has an added month so the Jewish Passover is not till sometime on April 19th. The sun is up and bright by 5am (6am daylight saving) and sets after 6pm. And its getting hot again - 30 degrees or so. The amaryllis that I brought from HK is flowering now - reminds me of my beautiful garden back in Jardine's Lookout and my two boys Rex and Regis. Honestly I've slept very little these 3 weeks worrying about Regis as the person who originally wanted to take Regis cannot do so now. The last resort is to put Regis to sleep; which is terrible as he's a healthy, happy and obedient dog. I've been having nightmares every night.

Managed to clear up all the stuff that the group brought over. Discovered lots of birthday cards and presents in bags that I overlooked. Thanks for everything. I've a large supply of tin food now - can start a shop!!!!

With the things cleared up from my floor, I will now vacuum the room and then hopefully by evening I can start with my thesis. The dean asked me after dinner last night if I got started already. Well I was in the library yesterday and today for a short while to check out some books. And the Melbourne group gave me lots of reference books - thanks a million! can't get these books here in Israel.

Ahh and I found out Sr Irmina is only a month younger than I ...... who would have guessed!! And .... the sisters forgot it's daylight saving so they got up late for Mass today ....

ok I'll go for lunch now. Will add a little reflection later.

After Emmaus ....

Pretty uneventful yesterday. Most of the professors and students were at the Bible Conference on St Paul here at our school but I was doing this and that, and falling asleep in between, I never got round to attending it. Still traumatised with cleaning up my room. Aaaaaaaaahhhhh I just want to move to another room so I don't have to unpack all those stuff.

While there's a cool wind blowing now, the sun is up and I think it'll be back to 34 degrees this afternoon. Very dry.

Yesterday I left 3 bags of magazines and other chinese literature at the Christian Information Centre near Jaffa Gate. The sister (I can never remember her name, she's Belgian) is very happy and we hope to create a little Chinese corner there. We already have a corner at our Franciscan Bookshop at the other block near Jaffa Gate as well. Have to look for another opening maybe near New Gate this time. Anyway I hope to take some photos so you can have a look.

On the way back from the Information Centre, I stopped by The Pontifical Missions to say hi to an old classmate, Usama Salman. He was just a 17 yr old kid studying some courses with us some 15 yrs back and now he's one of the big shots working at the Mission. He's married with 2 boys now. We had a good chat and he's always inviting me over to his house for a meal but I'm just too lazy. Well can't push it off now. Might go to his house next week.

Today's gospel is a continuation from yesterday's Emmaus story - Jesus appearing to the disciples in Jerusalem. He tells them that they are not seeing a ghost because he has flesh and bones that they can touch. He also asks for something to eat to prove that he's not a ghost. The last thing Jesus did in his earthly life was to eat a meal with his disciples, and the first thing he does after his resurrection is to eat a meal with them. Eating then is not just a human act to fulfill the biological need to sustain life, but a social and religious act that builds community and affirms this unity. I wonder if instead of saying "I'm going to attend Mass", we can say "I'm going to eat a sacred meal with my fellow Catholics"?

Divine irruption

Yesterday was supposed to be the feast of the Annunciation but because it is octave of Easter, the feast is postponed to next week. And it was also my 16th anniversary of my ordination. Fr Giovanni Loche our youngest archaeologist was hebdom and he said a prayer for me during the intercession at Mass - and some friars were surprised .... like duuuuh .... don't they know I was ordained????? Anyway it was nice to have support and encouragement from my community here - which happens to be very small at the moment because it is still the easter holidays and many students and professors are still away.

So what did I do for my ordination anniversary? I cleaned out the birdcage! It was messy. And with the 4 pairs of canaries separated in different cages, feeding and cleaning takes a lot more time. And those silly canaries don't know how to make nests! They put the cotton all around but lay the eggs on the bare plastic containers - which happens to be quite cold this evening (it's been 36 degrees for the past few days but its getting cold again). So I don't expect any chicks this year. Each canary has laid 3 to 4 eggs.

I'm still unpacking all the stuff the HK group brought me. And the Singapore grp also left me 3 bags of stuff that I had to collect at Knights' Palace where they stayed. Yes it's really a Crusader Knights' Palace within the Old City and today part of it is the residence of the Latin Patriarch. Beautiful ambiance, full of history. The Singapore grp. found out how expensive it is to actually live here in Israel so out of support and charity, they left many stuff that we can use here and save on money.

Oh and today we launched the website of our Duns Scotus Bible Centre. It's http://www.dsbiblecentre.org/ so go check it out. I taught a lesson via video-conferencing today to HK but the group was small.

The Dean asked me to deliver a sermon in italian to the participants of our Bible Conference on St Paul (3 day event) but I was not prepared ..... pretty scared actually. And anyway I really want to get started with my thesis again. Ooops and I have one article to prepare by next week - panic!!!! It's supposed to be in italian too!!!

Sister Maria Ko is now in Jerusalem and I met her at Emmaus the day before. She's professor of patrology in Rome and was my professor in HK 20 yrs back. Hope to have dinner with her next week - my birthday is coming up (hint, hint).

Anyway today's readings at Mass gave me alot to think. The first reading has Peter healing a cripple and the Gospel has Jesus meeting the 2 disciples on the way to Emmaus (love the place - I was substitute parish priest there in 1995. During the Emmaus feast 2 days back I met the gardener Ashraf who was only a 12 yr old boy when I was parish priest there. Now he's getting married and he wants me over to his house to have a meal with his family and meet his future wife - next week. It's good to see these guys growing up despite the difficulties of living in an occupied land). The former story has a man who lost his faculty and physical capacity and the latter has 2 guys who has full faculties but still handicapped - incapable of recognising Jesus. For me it tells of our human condition - we're all handicapped even if we possess all our faculties. We're so limited and flawed, yet the good news is that healing and Jesus himself will come, will irrupt into our lives. Let the irruption begin!!!!!

Happy Easter

The group left last night and exhausted is an understatement for what I'm feeling right now. It was a great trip though; we participated in the Holy Week services here in Jerusalem at the spot where we traditionally commemorate the last week of Christ's life on earth. We walked the road of Palm Sunday, prayed at the Last Supper Room, Spent Good Friday on Mt. Calvary and the Tomb and celebrated the first Mass of Easter morning at the Holy Sepulchre at 1am!

And we also spent 2 nights praying in the Holy Sepulchre and in the Garden of Gethsemani. The group joined in the liturgy with the local church here, with our Patriarch, bishops and Custos of the Holyland. The friars were very nice and always tried to give the group the best seats possible. In fact for the Mass of the last Supper, 3 of the guys were chosen to offer the gifts to the Patriarch - what an honour!

Me? I lost my voice, got bronchitis and my left ankle as usual swelled up. Twisted it 4 times during the trip. Now its all bandaged up.

But it was an unusual Holy Week for the group and me as the liturgy was at times very different from the rest of the world's. There was also another Singaporean grp there. Good mix of people from around the world. And Jerusalem is packed - even more than the year 2000! My superior was very nice and closed off the Flagellation Chapel on Good Friday morning so our group could celebrate the veneration of the Cross without disturbance; then from there we started the Way of the Cross. Fantastic!

So Christ is risen! Alleluia! How does this reminder of new life affect you?